[extropy-chat] Segways banned in Disney World

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Adrian Tymes <wingcat at pacbell.net> wrote:
> --- Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > --- Adrian Tymes <wingcat at pacbell.net> wrote:
> > > Not really.  Segways were given a chance, and
> > > proved that they can easily become unsafe under common
> > > conditions (specifically, when the battery runs
> > low or when driven by an uncautious person).
> > 
> > WHich is a bogus application of the Precautionary
> > Principle. Common bicycles can cause fatalities if
> > you go fast enough with them,
> > especially coming down the steep hills of San
> > Francisco. So what?
> 
> Those conditions aren't as common.  Though, perhaps
> "when the battery runs low" is the one that should be
> focussed on: when other vehicles run out of power,
> they tend to stop (modulo gravity, but brake failures
> aren't that common either).  So do Segways, but in
> said situations, they stop in ways injurious to their
> users.  (Or so I've heard; I could well have been
> misinformed.)

The low power tip over has been alleviated by a software change.

Considering my own experience bicycling, and in a much more rural area
than San Francisco, I've broken two arms, and had any number of bumps
scrapes, and minor concussions, and at velocities far higher than the
12 mph maximum of the Segway.

One reason police departments don't like the Segway is its anti-theft
features. Surprised? Don't be. Unreclaimed bicycle auctions are a
significant source of income for police departments. Cops NEVER make an
attempt to match a reported bike theft with one found and brought in.
I've personally confirmed this on four occasions when I've reported a
stolen bike, given the "okay, thanks", only to go in later insisting on
seeing what bikes were brought in, to find mine near the front of the
room. "oh, yeah, that kinda looks like yours, doesn't it?" Idiots.

The Segway simply cannot be hotwired. Cops hate that. Segways also go
slower as the battery drops in charge. By the time you are at risk of a
low power tip over, your speed is about 8 mph: about twice that of a
brisk walk. Big whoopdeedoo.

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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